2nd Try - Figured Maple Veneer Picture Frame

After a first attempt that I wasn’t happy with, this is the culmination and result of me learning probably 20 things to make this happen better. i.e.better bandsaw tuning, better veneering technique, comparing and testing finishes and use of hand tools (instead of letting power tools instantly damage it) etc. It is made from figured maple veneer over MDF. The outer border is ironwood and padauk with ironwood as the inner border. Many thanks to everyone who helped in the forums.

1. I realized that as a beginner even after developing a workable thin veneer process on the bandsaw, cutting my own veneer to 1/8” on the table saw was a lot more forgiving (and better looking) than commercial veneer.2. “Chatoyance”! Try as I might, oil based finish just looked better on this project than any combo of shellac, dye and water based finish. Took a full week trying different finishes.3. Finally figured out how to sharpen and use my card scraper.4. Padauk must be scraped, wiped and sealed to avoid bleeding.

Andy;Not sure how I missed this project when it was posted-the frame and the finish turned out awesome.

After reading I was still wondering what steps (& products) you used to get the grain to pop on the maple?

Thanks.

Bill in MI

- rtbrmb

Thanks Bill.

I used General Finish oil based poly gloss. I tried every combination, oil , water, shellac, no shellac etc. before making a decision. As much as I wanted it to the water based finishes just didnt make the figure pop like the oil based even with shellac as a base. Also, putting shellac down first didn’t look as good to me as putting the oil based poly down on the raw wood.

In addition, the third time was actually the charm. As always, the first few end up being prototypes. It took me almost a month to make the first frame and 2 weeks to make this one. Then I made 2 more that took me 2 days each once I got the technique down, decided on MDF as the substrate and built a jig to make the frame more precise. I really butchered the first one as I was just too rough on the commercial veneer. This one was made with veneer that I cut from a 4×4 with a table saw. The last 2 I went back to the commercial veneer and they came out clean and precise. Up close, this one looks a little more rustic.